


Balance of the Heart

by Fallen_feather92



Series: Balance of the Heart [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/M, Original Character-centric, slight AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:21:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27764410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fallen_feather92/pseuds/Fallen_feather92
Summary: BK 1 - Aurora washed up on the Islands with no memory, just her name and recollections of her brother. With no where to go, the mayor takes her in. When the Islands fall to Darkness, Aurora is thrust into new worlds, just as the Destiny Trio is. She's no Keyblade Wielder, but must trust in the strength of her heart to save not just herself, but also her new friends. IN PROGRESS
Relationships: Riku/OC, Sora/Kairi
Series: Balance of the Heart [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2031061
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! Fallen here! I am posting a kind of new, but written before series. This is a reboot of a series I’ve posted before on Fanfiction, but rewritten. Some of you might recognize elements of it, but no, I did not steal this story from the previous account this was written on. I had to make a new FF account for various reasons, and I am not stating which story or account for those same reasons. 
> 
> Also, this story will be cross posted on FF.net. I will be trying to post at least one chapter per weekend, unless stated otherwise. 
> 
> We are looking at at least five books in this series, by the way, and I do have them all outlined and ready to go. Well, without further ado…
> 
> ONWARD!

The sound of waves. That was the first to penetrate the dark fog that was the girl’s consciousness. Next was the gritty feel of sand pressed against her cheek, and the feel of warm, gritty water lapping at her body from the waist down.

A dull ache followed those sensations, pounding in her head in time with her heartbeat. She moaned slowly, and blinked open cyan eyes, squinting in the bright sun that shone overhead. A white beach, trimmed with emerald plants swam into sight. With another low groan, the girl slowly pushed herself to her hands and knees, wobbly crawling further up the beach and out of the water. She then rolled onto her back and looked up at the sapphire sky, lifting one hand over her eyes to block out the sun.

The girl was dressed in a bright green, long sleeve jacket over an off-white romper, with brown straps around her biceps. Green and off-white boots rose to her knees, and a black pin with a pixel heart was on the left breast of her jacket. A black choker with a yellow star shaped charm sat around her neck, and her shoulder length, dirty blond hair was fanned out around her head, locks of it matted with sand and salt and stuck to her forehead. In fact, her whole outfit was covered in sand and salt.

“Hey, are you alright?”

The girl blinked, turning her head slightly. The owner of the voice, a girl with short, red hair, was jogging along the beach towards her. Behind the girl were two boys, one with brown hair, wearing red, black, and white, and other with silver hair, wearing yellow and blue. The girl laying in the sand shivered as heat flared across her skin, followed by a cool breeze.

“I… where… am I?” the girl asked, her voice hoarse, like she’d just been screaming. She swallowed, suddenly noticing how raw it felt. The trio glanced at each other, seeming alarmed.

“This is the Destiny Islands,” the brunette said. “I’m Sora, and this is Kairi, and Riku.”

“Do you remember where you came from?” Riku asked, kneeling next to the girl and helping her sit up, supporting her upper body, while Kairi pulled a bottle of water from her bag. The girl gratefully took the offered water and sipped it, before thinking for a moment.

Her eyes widened in alarm.

“No… but my brother, Edym. Is he here?” she asked, looking around frantically. The trio looked at each other again, before shaking their heads.

“No. You’re the first person to appear here in… years,” Kairi said, hesitating just a moment.

“What’s your name?” Sora asked, crouching eye level. The girl looked between the three of them for just a moment, seeming to consider something, before sighing.

“Aurora.”

…

Once Aurora was strong enough to walk, the three took her back to the main Island, and to Kairi’s house, where she lived with her adopted father, the Mayor. They explained how they found her washed up on the beach.

Aurora stayed quiet as they talked, trying to cycle through her thoughts and memories, but finally came to the conclusion that she could only remember a few things about herself: her name was Aurora, and she was around fourteen years old. She did not know where she came from, she could not remember her parents, she did not know how she came to arrive on Destiny Islands. But she did have an older brother, Edym, who was around nineteen years old, and she did not know where he was, either.

Soon, it was decided that Aurora would stay with Kairi and the Mayor. Sora, Riku, and Kairi easily accepted her into their fold, and she went out to the Small Island with them everyday.

“We’re building a raft, to visit other worlds,” Riku explained as he and Aurora walked along the beach. Sora and Kairi were on the other side of the Island, where the raft was being built, putting it together, while Riku was gathering some building materials. “Kairi came from another world too, you know. That’s where we originally got the idea.”

“A raft? Do you really think that will work?” Aurora asked, bending down and picking up a sturdy looking stick. She wasn’t sure if it’ll help, but she felt bad, with Riku doing all of the work. The silver haired boy shrugged.

“Hard to say, honestly. But, both you _and_ Kairi washed up on the beach. And both of you had of have come from other worlds, right? It’s worth a shot.” Riku stopped, looking up at the sky. “Just knowing there’s more out there? More then… just this?” he waved around at the island, before turning and giving Aurora and intense look. “I just need to get out there and see if for myself.”

“I guess I understand,” Aurora said with a smile, despite not remembering anything before Destiny Islands. “Even if it seems like a paradise here,” she joked, playfully elbowing him. Riku chuckled at that, adjusting his grip on the logs he was holding.

“Hey, paradise gets boring after fifteen years,” he countered with a smile, before sighing. “Especially when knowing there’s more out there.” He looked at her. “You know, you’re more then welcome to come with us, Aurora. Maybe we can find where you come from, reclaim your memories, and find your brother.”

“That would be great. Thank you. I’m worried about Edym. I get the feeling he can take care of himself, but…” Aurora trailed off, and Riku nodded, looking down at his logs.

“I understand… And don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything,” Riku said with a smirk, before jogging forward. Aurora shook her head with a smile and followed after him. 


	2. Destiny Islands

The next two weeks flew by quickly. Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Aurora, worked hard, collecting building materials for the raft and putting it together. Aurora got to meet Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie, as well, the three other kids who played on the Islands.

“We haven’t told them our plan, honestly. Selphie would try to take it over, and Tidus would want in. And honestly? Wakka would probably go to our parents,” Sora explained when Aurora asked about the secrecy.

The raft was quickly taking shape, looking more and more sea worthy each day.

“Alright,” Kairi said, sitting back on her heels. Her and Aurora were just working on tying the last few logs gathered together. “We just need a few more things and it should be done today!”

“A few more logs, it looks like,” Aurora said, pointing to the more bare side as she pulled her dirty-blond hair into a high, spiky ponytail.

“A large cloth for the sale, and some extra rope wouldn’t hurt either, Kairi added. Aurora nodded, and Kairi looked around, before letting out an exasperated sigh. “I’ll go find Sora. He’s probably snoozing down on the beach again,” she said with a grin. Aurora laughed.

“Guess I’ll wait here for Riku then. He should be getting back soon from that last supply run we sent him on.”

Kairi nodded with a smile, before heading off. Aurora sighed and say back against the mast of the raft, thinking over what needed to still be done. Kairi mentioned needing provisions for the trip as well, like food, and water.

“Probably can’t start a fire on the raft to cook at fish we might catch,” she mumbled to herself with a smile, before sighing, glancing around. _Riku’s right though. Paradise is boring. And I’ve only been here for two weeks!_ Aurora stood and stretched, before stepping off the raft, pacing a little. A flash of silver caught her eye and she looked up in time to see Riku heading in the opposite direction, a log over her shoulder. She sighed and rolled her eyes, jogging after them.

“I’m the only one working on the raft.” Aurora heard Riku’s voice as she caught up to him, only to find him confronting Sora, who was sitting in the sand, and Kairi, who was standing by the water. She laughed.

“Hey, not the _only_ one,” she countered. Riku snorted, walking forward and tossing the log onto Sora, who flailed to catch it.

“Alright, alright. So Aurora and I.” He stopped in front of Kairi. “And you’re just as lazy as he is!” he said, tipping his head in Sora’s direction. Kairi giggled as Sora pushed the log off of him.

“So you noticed,” she said, rubbing the back of her head. “Okay, we’ll finish it together!” she announced as Riku took a seat in the sand next to Sora. Aurora grinned, knowing what was about to come next. “I’ll race you!”

“Huh?”

“What, are you kidding?”

Aurora laughed as both boys complained, walking over and leaning down to look at them.

“What, chicken that Kairi and I can kick your butts?” she challenged with a smirk. The boys looked at her, before looking at each other.

“Ready, go!” Kairi yelled. Sora and Riku both shot up from their sitting positions and took off down the beach, with Aurora keeping pace with them easily. Kairi was only a step behind them, giggling up a storm at the fact that her plan worked, and the four kids quickly made their way back over to the passage that would lead them back to the other side of the Island. Aurora quickly grabbed both boys’ shirts before they could go through the door, stopping them, knowing they’d have a better chance of finding what they needed on this side of the Island today, and Kairi finally caught up with them.

“Alright, we’re almost done the raft!” she announced. “We just need a few more logs. Riku, could you find about four more?”

“Sure,” Riku said with a smile before taking off.

“What about me?” Sora asked.

“Rope, and a big cloth. Big enough for the sale,” Kairi said. Sora nodded with a grin and ran off as well.

“So, what are we going to do while we wait?” Aurora asked, looking over at Kairi. The red-head smiled, pulling something out of her pocket.

“I thought we could make lucky charms from Thalassa Shells,” she said, showing Aurora the shells. “Sailors would make these, and take them on long voyages with them to ensure a safe return home,” she explained. Aurora smiled warmly.

“That’s a good idea,” she said. Kairi nodded.

“I thought so. If you can find five shells like this, I can show you how to make it,” she said. Aurora nodded and began searching the sand.

…

After a few hours of searching, Aurora was only able to find four perfect Thalassa Shells. The fifth one had a chip in it. She came over to Kairi.

“I couldn’t find a fifth good one, but… will this work?” she asked. Kairi gently took it, examining it, before nodding.

“Yeah, it should,” she said with a smile. “The shell itself is still pretty strong, and the chip isn’t jagged. Besides, it’s not like it’ll change the luck in it,” she said, handing it back. Aurora smiled.

“Good.”

“Alright, we have to put the Charms on hold. Riku bought the logs back,” Kairi said. Aurora nodded, putting the shells away and helping add the last few logs. As they finished that, Sora arrived with the rope and cloth, and they were finally able to finish the raft. The four stepped back to examine their handy-work.

“There we are. A seaworthy vessel,” Riku said, crossing his arms with a smirk.

“Does this mean we can set sail tomorrow?” Sora asked.

“Nope. Tomorrow, we gather food and supplies,” Kairi said, while Aurora giggled at the disappointment in the boy’s face. Riku grinned, thumping Sora on the back.

“Yeah, we don’t need you starving or anything.”

“Hey!” Sora complained, and all four laughed.

“Common, let’s go watch the sunset from the Paopu tree,” Kairi suggested, leading the way to the bridge that lead to the islet.

…

“So, both Kairi and Aurora’s homes are out there, right?” Sora asked, looked over from where he sat on the tree. Kairi was sitting next to him, with Aurora sitting on the other side of the red head. Standing next to Aurora and leaning against the tree, was Riku, his arms crossed thoughtfully.

“Could be. We’ll never know by staying here,” Riku replied.

“But how far could a raft take us?” Sora asked.

“Isn’t it a little late to be having second thoughts?” Aurora asked, looking over at the brunette with a smile. He stuck his tongue out at her, causing her to laugh. Riku, on the other hand, shook his head, waving Sora’s question away.

“Who knows. If we have to, we’ll think of something else.”

“So, suppose you get to another world,” Kairi started, before giggling at the idea. “What would you do there?”

“Well… for starters, I’d start trying to help Aurora look for her brother, and get her memory back,” Riku said, looking up at the new girl. “Though honestly, before you came, I hadn’t really thought about it. I had just always wondered why we’re here, on this island. If there are any other worlds out there, Why did we end up on this one? And suppose there are other worlds… Then ours is just a little piece of something much greater. So we could have just as easily ended up somewhere else, right?”

“I dunno,” Sora said off-handedly, flipping onto his back on the tree. Aurora glanced over at Sora, before looking over at Riku, thinking over his words. Something in his words struck a chord in her, and made her ever more curious to see the outside world as well.

“Exactly,” Riku said. “That’s why we need to go out there and find out. Just sitting here won’t change a thing. And it won’t get Aurora her memory or her brother back. So let’s go.”

Aurora hopped off of the tree and walked over to Riku, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Riku, thank you. How much you want to help… it means a lot to me,” she said with a smile. Riku nodded.

“Well, if it hadn’t been for you or Kairi, I probably would’ve never thought of any of this. So, thanks,” he said, looking between the blond and the red-head. Aurora nodded.

“Heh, you’re welcome,” Kairi said. The four watched the sun sink below the horizon, before finally heading off, Kairi and Aurora walking ahead of the boys and leading the way to the dock.

…

The next day, after Sora and Riku decided to have a race, Kairi gave both boys a list of provisions to gather. Meanwhile, she started to teach Aurora how to make a star shaped charm out of the Thalassa shells Aurora had the day before.

By the time the sky was changing from sapphire to pink and orange, the provisions were securely tucked away, and both Aurora’s and Kairi’s lucky charms were complete. Kairi drew her face on hers, and put a small crown shape in the middle. Aurora decided to keep the shells plain, loving the pinks, yellows, and blues, and found a star charm to put in the middle of hers.

…

“So, we set sale tomorrow,” Aurora said as she and Riku sat on the ledge in front of the door that lead to the other side of the island, watching as the sun set.

“Yeah. Are you ready?” Riku asked, looking over at the girl. Aurora took a deep breath, looking down at the lucky charm.

“I… don’t know,” she admitted. Riku’s eyebrows furrowed together, and he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and studying the girl next to him.

“What do you mean?”

“When I arrived here, I… well, I don’t know what happened to me. And since the raft was completed, and especially today, I’ve been…” Aurora hesitated, searching for the right word. “Scared? No…. nervous? I don’t know, my chest feels weird,” she admitted, looking up at Riku. “I’m worried something bad is going to happen. Kairi taught me how to make this lucky charm. For a safe voyage.” She showed it to Riku. “But… I don’t know if it’s going to work. I just feel like… this journey might be a dangerous one.”

Riku was silent as he listened to Aurora. Finally, he put a hand on her shoulder, and smiled.

“Don’t worry, Aurora. Even if something bad _does_ happen, I will be there to protect everyone. Sora, and Kairi, and you, too. I will make sure you won’t be hurt again,” he said. Aurora turned and looked up at Riku, who nodded confidently, and couldn’t help the small glow of admiration she felt towards him.

“Are you sure you can?” she asked. Riku’s smile grew.

“Of course I can. After all, I’m the best fighter on the Island,” he boasted. Aurora couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her, and she nodded.

“Alright. I trust you,” she said, letting the lucky charm rest in her lap and looking out towards the sunset, trying to ignore the feeling that something on the island was just… _wrong._


	3. The Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to go up hours ago, but my internet went out. Sooooo… you’re getting it now, when my internet came back. Enjoy!

Aurora rested back against the footboard of Kairi’s bed, watching as the red-head went through the list of supplies she had written in her notebook.

“Alright, I _think_ we have everything,” Kairi said, finally looking up from the book. Aurora smiled.

“I think we so. Now all we have to do is wait for tomorrow,” she said. Kairi nodded, glancing out the window, before doing a double take.

“A storm?” she gasped, before jumping up. “Oh no! The raft! We never secured it!”

“What are you going to do?” Aurora asked, standing as Kairi pulled her shoes back on. The red-head grabbed Aurora’s shoes and tossed them at her.

“We need to get back to the island and make sure the raft is secure, so it doesn’t float away or get destroyed,” she said. Aurora nodded and pulled her shoes on, before glancing out the window at the storm. The feeling that something was wrong was only growing worse.

…

The two girls quickly made it to the island, docking their row boat, and started towards the path leading the the other side, where the raft would be. Wind ripped at their clothes and hair, kicking sand up.

“Common, Kairi,” Aurora called when she noticed the red-head wasn’t next to her. She glanced back, thinking the girl had fallen behind, only to gasp.

Kairi had vanished.

“Kairi? Kairi!?” Aurora called, looking around. Rather then spotting her friend, though, black creatures with glowing yellow eyes rose from the ground around Aurora, their movements twitchy and jerky.

“Wh-what are- _ah!_ ” Aurora cut off as pain flared behind her eyes. Jumbled images of these same creatures, and bigger, more powerful ones, appeared behind her eyes, and with these images, fear.

“H-Heartless…?” Aurora muttered.

Suddenly, three of the Shadows lunged at the girl. Aurora fell backwards as she tried to avoid their claws, her eyes huge. Another attempted to attack her while she was on the ground, but she kicked out at it, scrambling to her feet, and ran.

_‘Aurora! Use your magic! Use your Water Spell!’_

Another flash of pain behind Aurora’s eyes. Images of an instrument appearing in her hands; a chord struck; water surging around Aurora and slamming into enemies, pushing them back and defeating them.

Aurora spun around and looked at the Heartless chasing her, remembering the feel of the instrument in her hands. In a flash of light, a light blue and white Ukulele appeared in Aurora’s hands.

“ _Water!”_ Aurora cried, striking the same chord from those flashes of memories she had. Water surged around her and slammed into the shadows, washing them away from her.

“Yes!” she cheered, before looking around, trying to figure out where Kairi had gone. Instead, she spotted Sora, running across the bridge to the small islet where Riku stood. She took off in that direction, quickly following the brunette and using Water Spells to keep the Shadows at bay.

“Once we step through, we might not be able to come back,” Riku was saying as Aurora reached the boys. Aurora glanced up, gasping as she spotted a large black hole, high above their heads. “We may never see our parents again. There’s no turning back. But this may be our only chance. We can’t let fear stop us! I’m not afraid of the darkness!”

Aurora’s eyes widened at not just Riku’s words, but also his tone. It was more then excited, almost fevered.

“Riku!” Aurora cried out in worry, at the same time as Sora. Riku turned his eyes to them, and reached out his hand. Darkness appeared around his legs, and Sora hesitated.

Another pain flashed behind Aurora’s eyes. Disjointed images surrounding darkness, and fear chilled Aurora to the bone.

“NO!” she screamed, and rushed forward, grabbing Riku’s hand in an attempt to pull him free from the darkness, to rescue him. The darkness, like hungry quicksand, latched on to Aurora’s legs as well and sucked her in alongside Riku, who had a tight grip on her hand.

As darkness wrapped around the two of them, the Islands faded from view, and everything went black. The last thing Aurora was aware of was the sensation of ice sliding through her veins, and Riku’s grip on her hand, before she lost consciousness.


	4. Hollow Bastion

Running water. That's the first thing Aurora noticed. The next was the overwhelming _cold._ She pushed herself slowly to her knees and wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to control the shivering, looking around. She was on a small, stone platform with walls of rising water surrounding her on three sides. Looking forward, she saw floating platforms leading the way towards a castle in the distance.

"Ugh… Aurora?"

Aurora quickly turned and spotted Riku. That manic, fevered look he had on the islands was gone, replaced by confusion.

"Riku! Are you okay?" Aurora asked, quickly turning to the boy. He nodded, looking around as he stood.

"Yeah… Where… where are we?" he asked. Aurora shook her head.

"I don't know."

Riku glanced at her, before his eyes widened and he looked around. "Do you think Sora and Kairi made it off the Island with us?" he asked. Aurora's own eyes widened.

"I'm not sure. We should look for them," she said, standing up. Riku nodded, calling for them. Aurora followed his lead, doing the same.

The only response was their voices echoing back to them in the silence. Aurora tightened her arms around herself.

"I… don't think they're here," she said in a small voice.

"No… it doesn't seem like it," Riku said, looking down, before suddenly looking up, in the direction of the castle. "But I do think we're being watched…" Aurora followed his gaze and spotted a figure in a long, black robe, looking directly at them. The two teens glanced at each other.

"Maybe we should talk to her. See where we're at?" Aurora suggested weakly.

"Better then sitting here doing nothing, I guess," Riku sighed, before walking over to the edge of the platform and jumping to the next one. Aurora followed after him, shivering again in cold.

As they got closer to the woman, they began to notice more unsettling details about her. Her skin was sickly pale and green, and there were horns on her head. She watched them with a smirk as they grew closer, fingering the orb on top of her staff, and a raven was perched on her shoulder.

"Riku," Aurora said softly.

"I know, but I don't think we have much of a choice," Riku muttered back, glancing around and not seeing a different direction to go.

The two teenagers finally reached the platform just below the one the woman stood on.

"Well, what do we have here? Two lost souls?" she asked in a mockingly kind voice.

"Yeah. We were hoping you could tell us where we were?" Riku asked. The woman studied him for a moment, interest sparking in her eyes. She then turned and looked at Aurora, studying her as well.

"I see," she said softly to herself. "Your hearts must be strong, to survive losing your world to Darkness, and to make it here without a vessel. Perhaps you coming here is no mistake after all," she said.

"Darkness…?" Aurora muttered softly, putting a hand to her head, remembering the flashes of memory she saw, back on the island. Riku put a hand on her shoulder, worried by that, before scowling at the woman.

"Start making sense," he snapped.

"Ah, yes, forgive me. This is Hollow Bastion, and I am Maleficent, the Queen of the Castle here," she said with a dramatic sweep of her arm towards the castle in the distance. "Am I wrong in assuming that you are searching for your friends?"

"No, you're not. What of it?" Riku demanded.

"Then, perhaps we can help each other. My cohorts and I are in need of assistance. If you two help us, then we will help you two find your friends… Sora and Kairi, was it? I can also give you a place to stay, since your world is no more," Maleficent offered. Riku looked at Aurora.

"Well, what do you think?" he asked. Aurora was quiet for a moment, thinking it through.

"I…" she hesitated, looking up at Riku. She could see that he was hesitant as well, but leaning more towards accepting the deal. And honestly, despite not trusting Maleficent, or Darkness, there was really no reason to turn it down. After all, they had no way to get off world or find Sora and Kairi. It sounded like Maleficent did. "Sounds like the best offer we're going to get for now."

Riku nodded. "Alright."

"Excellent. Right this way." Maleficent turned with a sweep of her robes and led the two teens onto a lift that lead from the Rising Falls, towards the castle. As they moved closer, Aurora couldn't help but shiver more, feeling colder and colder.

Then she spotted the symbol on the castle. A small gasp escaped her.

"Heartless…" she whispered, thinking back to the flashes she had remembered on the island when first facing the Shadows.

"Aurora? Are you okay?" Riku asked softly, wrapping an arm around the girl. Aurora glanced up at the boy, unsure of what to say, especially in front of Maleficent. Riku mistook her silence and shivering for simple fear and smiled at her, giving her a squeeze. "Hey, what did I say before? I'll keep you safe, no matter what. I promise," he said.

"Here we are," Maleficent said, stepping off of the lift and leading the teens into the castle, through a library, and down a few halls, until they reached two doors. "You two can stay in these rooms. I hope you find them comfortable. Once you are settled in, I will send for you, and we can discuss how we can help one another," she offered. Riku nodded.

"Thanks," he said. Aurora nodded as well and walked over to one of the doors, going in. The room was small and simple, with just a twin sized bed in the corner, a dresser and desk against the walls, and a window, facing the rising falls. Aurora sat on the bed and looked around, taking a deep breath, unsure of how to settle in anymore.

Being here, in a castle plastered with the Heartless insignia all over its exterior _and_ its entrance hall… it just felt _wrong._

…

The first way Maleficent promised to help them was to train them.

In the first training session with Riku, she helped him tap into the darkness in his heart, which allowed him to summon a sword that looked almost like a demonic wing, with a blue eye set in the hilt. He held it up, studying it.

"Soul Eater…"

"What was that?" his sparring partner, a pirate by the name of Hook, demanded.

"That's what this sword is called. Soul Eater," Riku said, before entering the stance he'd always used while sparing on the islands. Hook, of course, was a lot more skilled, pushing Riku to his limits, but Riku thrived in it, quickly growing stronger.

Meanwhile, Maleficent sensed Aurora's magical potential, and had had a Sea Witch, Ursula, train her in spell casting.

Aurora took to the training, quickly learning (or was it remembering?) how to cast basic elemental spells with her Ukelele. Ursula was a hard and mean teacher, though, and would push Aurora until her magical reserves were dry, without letting her use an item to refresh. She said it was a way to help Aurora 'grow her magical reserves.' 

…

"You know, Aurora, you would be much more powerful and able to protect yourself better if you would utilize Darkness," Maleficent advised. Aurora and Riku had been training for about a week now with the denizens at the castle, preparing for the…. _errands_ Maleficent said she would need them for. Aurora had just finished a session with Ursula, who had put her through a tough session.

Aurora was exhausted.

"Oh?" Aurora said, a little nervously. This wasn't the first time the Dark Fairy had approached her about using Darkness, but Aurora couldn't bring herself to be comfortable with the idea. Or to trust the Fairy at all.

"Yes. It would increase not just the power and potency of your magic, but also your endurance," she explained.

"I see. I'll… consider it," Aurora said, before spotting Riku. He was sitting on the railing in the entrance hall, a faint sheen of sweat covering his face and arms. He'd just finished his own training, it seemed. She quickly hurried over to him and away from Maleficent. 

Riku, hearing her footsteps, turned and gave her a small smile, before spotting Maleficent and frowning slightly.

"Hey, Aurora. You okay?" he asked, hoping up and leading the girl into the library.

"Yeah. She was just… pushing for me to use Darkness again," Aurora explained. Riku nodded, glancing at Aurora.

"Right."

"Riku, please tell me you don't actually trust these guys," Aurora suddenly asked, the fear she's been feeling for the past week spilling over. Riku turned fully to look at Aurora, and smiled slightly, shaking his head.

"No. Honestly, I'm just using her," he said, leading Aurora over to the table and sitting at it. Aurora sat across from him.

"Using her?"

"For the training, really. I… when we first made the plan to get off the Island, I honestly thought I was invincible, but…" he shook his head, glancing at his hands. "Without this training, we probably wouldn't have made it too far, honestly. Not with those Heartless out there. But now… now I feel ready to take them on."

"Right," Aurora sighed. "Besides, we really don't have a way off this world, do we?" she asked.

"Not yet, but I'm working on it. Though, I don't think a raft is going to work this time," Riku joked, causing Aurora to giggle.

"Probably not."

"Believe me, Aurora. Once we're strong enough, and able to get off world, we will get away from here and we'll find Sora and Kairi. We've just got to play nice, for now, alright?" Riku said. Aurora nodded.

"Alright."


	5. Replaced

Aurora tried to keep track of how long they'd been in Hollow Bastion now, but it was hard. As she quickly learned (or remembered?) time moved differently in different worlds. So, what might have been three weeks in Hollow Bastion, might have only been three days on Destiny Islands. Or three months in whatever world she lived in before she came to the Islands.

Either way, by her count, her and Riku had spent around twenty-one days in Hollow Bastion, training and trying to learn how to World Travel, before the daily routine suddenly had a change.

"Here you two are!" a throaty, annoyed sounding voice squawked. Aurora looked up from the book she was reading at the Library table, while Riku was sitting on the railing, twirling his sword around and practicing different slashes. Fluttering towards them was a red parrot with a cross look on its face.

"Iago?" Aurora asked. "What is it?"

"Jafar made me fly _all the way down here_ to get your sorry butts! Apparently, Maleficent wants you two in the Chapel for some reason!" he snapped.

"The Chapel? But aren't they having a meeting right now?" Riku asked. "We're never allowed in there during the meetings.

Though not for lack of trying. Both Aurora and Riku have tried to get close, but the only doors in were guarded by vicious Defender Heartless while meetings were going on.

"Look, that's what they told me! Are you coming or not?" he demanded. The teens glanced at each other and shrugged, before getting up to follow the bird. Rather than leading them, though, Iago hopped up and landed on Aurora's shoulder, motioning with one of his wings for them to go ahead. "I'm taking a break. Didn't you hear me say I had to fly all the way here?"

"Right," Riku said dryly, while Aurora giggled. She didn't actually mind Iago too much. He wasn't really a bad person… bird? Just a little greedy and working for a bad person like Jafar.

…

The two Defender Heartless that usually guarded the doors were absent today, letting Aurora and Riku walk into the Chapel, where Maleficent and the others waited for them. As soon as they entered, Iago left Aurora's shoulder and landed back on Jafar's.

"You wanted to see us?" Riku asked.

"Yes. We have managed to locate Sora," Maleficent announced, waving her hand over the table. A glowing circle appeared, showing the brunette. He was talking to a blond man in what appeared to be in a shop.

"Sora!" Riku gasped, his voice mingled surprise and relief.

"Where is that!?" Aurora demanded.

"A world called Traverse Town," the Dark Fairy explained. "I can take you to go see him, but... I must warn you. It appears he has… found some new friends."

"What?" Riku's head snapped up from where he was watching the illusion of Sora, before he shook his head. "No. I don't believe it."

"Yeah. Sora wouldn't replace us," Aurora added. Maleficent glanced at the illusion before nodding.

"Alright. I will take you to him." She turned and lifted her hand, summoning a dark portal. The coldness that Aurora had grown so accustomed to grew more intense for a moment, and she shivered. Riku glanced at her and smiled slightly.

"Come on. Let's go find our friend," he said, offering his hand. Aurora nodded and took his hand, stepping through the portal with him.

…

Maleficent left the two of them to their own devices for a while, saying she had her own business to attend to while on this world. The two wondered the town for a while, before finally spotting their friend walking out of an alleyway, only for two Heartless to suddenly appear in front of him.

"I got this!" Riku smirked, darting forward and taking them out in one blow. Sora's face turned to shock as he spotted Riku.

"There you are. What's going on?" Riku asked, desummoning Soul Eater.

"Riku!" Sora said, running over to him, his own weapon disappearing as he tugged on Riku's cheeks.

"Hey, hey, cut it out." Riku knocked Sora's hand away. Sora then spotted Aurora just behind Riku and darted over, patting her shoulders enthusiastically.

"And Aurora!"

"Ow, hey!" Aurora giggled, gently pushing the over-excited boy away, wondering what got into him.

"I'm not dreaming this time, right?" Sora asked, stepping back and looking at both of them.

"I hope not. Took forever to find you," Riku said, pushing his bangs out of his eyes.

"Plus, us being self-aware in your dreams would be a little weird," Aurora teased, earning a snort out of Riku.

"Great!" Sora said with a grin.

 _I knew he didn't replace us,_ Aurora thought with a warm smile. _Maybe this means we don't have to go back to that world now._

They began walking back through town, when something seemed to occur to Sora.

"Wait a second, where's Kairi?"

"Isn't she with you?" Riku asked.

Sora bowed his head, and fear seized Aurora's heart as she thought of the girl who had became her best friend.

"You mean she's out there, by herself?" she said.

"I wouldn't worry too much," Riku said, looking between both Sora and Aurora. "I'm sure she made it off the island too." He turned away from them, looking up at the tall buildings that were so unlike the small houses on the Island. "We're finally free. Hey, she might even be looking for us now."

A cold chill suddenly shot down Aurora's back. She turned and saw a Heartless rising out of the ground.

"We'll all be together again soon. Don't worry. Just leave everything to me. I know this~"

Aurora moved to summon her Ukelele, but before it was even in her hands, Sora had already dove at the Heartless, a silver and gold sword, shaped like a skeleton key, slicing through the Heartless and turning it into dust. Riku cut off at the sound and turned in surprise.

"Leave it to who?" Sora asked with a confident smirk, resting the weapon over his shoulder. Aurora bit her lip at that, glancing over at Riku, who looked taken back at that.

She could tell his pride was a little hurt, like Sora had just bested him on the islands.

"Sora, what did you~" Riku started.

"I've been look for the two of you, and Kairi, too, with their help," Sora said, tipping his head towards two people that Aurora and Riku only just noticed. One was an anthropomorphic duck wearing blue, the other a dog in a green sweater and tan pants. Apprehension suddenly started to swirl in Aurora's stomach.

"Who are they?" Riku asked, a tinge of jealousy in his voice. Aurora quickly looked over at him.

"Riku~" she started, only to be cut off.

"Ahem. My name is~" the duck started.

"We've visited so many places and worlds, looking for you," Sora explained.

"Really? Well, what do you know? I never would have guessed," Riku replied. Aurora's heart sank. _We were supposed to visit other worlds together. Us three and Kairi. I understand Sora was looking for us, but… Riku's hurt. Maleficent… he said he was just using her, but did she actually start getting into his head?_ Aurora worried, looking up at him.

"Oh, and guess what? Sora's the Keyblade master," the dog said, dropping his hands on Sora's shoulders. Riku stiffened even more at that. Aurora looked over to see shock in his eyes, and his hand clenched into a fist.

"Who would've thought it?" the duck added.

"What's that mean!?" Sora demanded, looking at the duck. Aurora looked between the three of them, and her heart sunk even lower at seeing how close they were.

_Maybe… he really is even closer to them then he is us now…_

"So this is called a Keyblade." Riku said, more a statement than a question. Aurora looked over to see Riku holding Sora's weapon, inspecting it with critical eyes.

"Huh!?" Sora looked up, before looking at his hand. "Hey, give it back!" the smaller boy darted over to Riku, trying to grab the weapon. Riku hopped back, his reflexes even faster from sparring with Hook now, and he held up the weapon, continuing to study it for a few minutes. Sora, meanwhile, stumbled and fell to the ground.

"Catch!" Riku suddenly said, tossing it to Sora as he stood back up. Sora fumbled slightly, but managed to catch it all the same, before looking at Riku and Aurora.

"Okay, so you're coming with us, right? We've got this awesome rocket. Wait 'til you see it!" Sora explained. Aurora's heart began to lift, and she started to turn to Riku, when the duck's words made her blood turn to ice.

"No, they can't come!"

"What?" Sora demanded.

"Forget it!" the duck snapped.

"Oh, come on! They're my friends!" Sora snapped.

Riku shook his head and grabbed Aurora's hand, taking off and pulling her after him. "Common," he mumbled, anger simmering in his voice. Aurora nodded, quickly following after him, trying to hide the tears of hurt in her eyes.

…

"There you are," Maleficent said, finding the two as they walked through the town. "Come. I wish to show you something."

"We're not in the mood," Riku snapped. Aurora nodded in agreement.

"Ah, but it is important," Maleficent said, leading them anyway. Both sighed at that and followed the Dark Fairy. She stopped in front of a house and motioned to the window. Inside was Sora and his two new friends. They were talking and laughing, like they hadn't just found then lost two of Sora's friends.

"You see? It's just as I told you. While you toiled away trying to find your dear friend, he quite simply replaced you with some new companions. Evidently, now he values them far more than he does the two of you. You're better off without that wretched boy." Maleficent wrapped her arm around the teens' shoulders, drawing them closer in an attempt to be comforting. "Now, think no more of him, and come with me. I'll help you find what you're searching for…"

Riku finally tore his intense glare away from the window and looked away from Aurora. "First Kairi, to make sure she's safe. Then a way to recover the rest of your memories and your brother?" he asked.

Aurora pulled her own gaze away from the window and looked down, wiping the tears out of her eyes, before looking up at Riku. "Yeah."

…

_My feet pounded against hard packed earth as I ran towards the edge of the cliff, the world in ruins around me. Storm clouds boiled above me, barely hiding the bright glow of my target._

_I skidded to a stop as I reached the edge of the cliff and looked up. The clouds separated, revealing a large, heart shaped moon._

" _[_ static static _]," I breathed._

" _I am disappointed in you, [_ static _]," he said._

" _Heh. That's my line, [_ static _]_ ," _I snarled. "You're the one who's in the wrong here. You KNOW [_ static static _] shouldn't be used like that!"_

" _And yet, you can. So it must not be too taboo," the man laughed. I closed my eyes, before slowly lifting my hand, the palm facing the heart shaped moon._

" _I would rather die. And maybe… maybe our time is over. Maybe it's time for us to be replaced." Light flashed from my palm._

" _NO!" the man yelled, just as a loud click boomed over the wastelands. He screamed in anger and launched whitish-blue flames out of his hands, striking me directly in the chest. I gasped in pain and fell backwards off of the cliff._

…

"Aurora! Aurora, wake up!"

Aurora's eyes snapped open as she let out a strangled scream, thrashing in bed. Riku stood at her bed side, his teal eyes huge with worry. Aurora looked up at him, clenching her chest where the dark fire had struck her in the dream.

She felt like she'd been burned in real life.

"Are you okay?" Riku asked.

"I… yeah. Bad dream," she muttered. "It's late. Did you just get back for that last errand?" she asked. Riku nodded.

"Yeah…. but back to your dreams. You've had a few of those this past week," he said, sitting on the edge of her bed. It's been a week since they'd met Sora in Traverse Town. They continued their training, and now running small errands for Maleficent and her cohorts. Meanwhile, Maleficent said she was still searching for Kairi. It was hard to know if she was telling the truth, but for now, they didn't really have anywhere else to go.

After all, it was clear that they weren't wanted among Sora's new group of friends.

"I… don't know what they are. They feel like memories, but… not like mine?" Aurora said, putting a hand to her head. "It's hard to explain. Like," she hesitated. "I'm older in these dreams. And they're very disjointed. And I don't feel like _me_."

"Maybe they're someone else's, then?" Riku suggested.

"Maybe," Aurora sighed.

Just then, there was a knock on Aurora's door. Both looked up at it before Aurora cleared her throat.

"Who is it?"

The door opened, and Maleficent looked in, quirking an eyebrow at the teens. Riku, realizing how it might look, sprang up from where he was sitting on Aurora's bed.

"I have something I need to show the two of you. Once you are decent, come to the Chapel," she said, before sweeping out.

"Right…" Riku muttered, before darting out. Aurora couldn't help but smile slightly, before standing to get ready.


	6. Dive Into the Dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Halfway Point

“Well, what is it?” Riku asked as the teens entered the Chapel. Maleficent and Hades were the only two there.

“That smarmy vizier could’ve had ‘em~ if someone had stuck around to give him a hand,” Hades started.

“Vizier… wait, Jafar?” Aurora looked around. “Where is he? And Iago?”

“There were defeated by Sora and his friends. Turned into a Genie and trapped in a lamp,” Maleficent explained while Riku shook his head at the Lord of the Dead.

“I did my part. I bought the princess, didn’t I?” he demanded.

 _What!? That errand was to kidnap someone?_ Aurora thought in horror, looking at Riku, suddenly noticing just how much… colder he seemed. Colder… colder… _Darker._

_Was that… a memory? Is that why I feel so cold here? I’m sensing darkness? And Riku’s heart, it used to be warmer, Lighter. But now…_

“Jafar was beyond help, consumed by his own hatred,” Maleficent explained. “One should beware of letting it burn too fiercely.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Lighten up. I’m as cool as they come, okay?” Hades said.

“Says the one who’s head is on fire. But wait, why are we _kidnapping people?_ ” Aurora demanded.

“We’ll explain later,” Hades said, brushing Aurora off. “For now though, have we got something special for the two of you,” Hades said with a smirk, causing both teens to turn and look at Maleficent.

“We had a deal, yes? You help us, and we grant you a wish…”

The table lit up, and an image of a girl appeared.

“Kairi!” both Riku and Aurora gasped, lurching forward.

“Go to her. Your vessel is waiting,” Maleficent said, just as footsteps approached from behind.

“Just remember, this is no pleasure cruise. It won’t be a pleasant voyage,” Hook snarled at them.

Riku and Aurora looked at each other, before they looked back at Maleficent.

“Why are you doing all of this for us?” Riku demanded.

“Yeah, what’s the catch?” Aurora asked.

“Catch?” Maleficent finally turned to face them. “What’s the catch? Silly. You are like my very own children. I just want you two to be happy.” The Dark Fairy came over, placing a hand on Riku’s shoulder, and cupping Aurora’s cheek, meeting both of their eyes. Aurora froze, seeing a longing, almost a hunger in her eyes.

Riku knocked Maleficent’s hands away and pulled Aurora back.

“I seriously doubt that…” he said, sounding very creeped out, keeping an arm tight around Aurora. Aurora shivered, looking away from Maleficent, trying to decipher what her expression had meant.

“Believe what you wish. But lest we forget, I kept my end of the bargain,” Maleficent said. Riku scowled slightly, before turning to follow Hook, making sure to keep his arm tight around Aurora.

…

The two were given a nice room on Hook’s ship, separate from the rest of the crew. Riku insisted on sharing this time, not trusting Hook’s pirates to not try something with Aurora. Aurora didn’t want to say anything, but she was grateful for it. Not only did it give her less to worry about, but it also gave them more time together as they travelled through the Ocean Inbetween.

“Hey, Riku?”

“Hm?” Riku looked up from where he was sitting on his hammock as Aurora came over and sat next to him. “What’s up?”

“I… think we need to talk. When all of this started, I asked if you actually trusted Maleficent. You said you were just using her…”

“I still am,” Riku said.

“I’m not so sure,” Aurora said, looking up at him. “You seem darker. And you _kidnapped_ someone,” Aurora said. Riku stayed quiet for a moment, looking at his hands, before taking a deep breath.

“Aurora, are you scared of Darkness?” he asked. Aurora was taken aback by the question, her mind jumping back to right before the Islands disappeared.

_…_

_“I’m not scared of the dark!” Riku had announced._

_…_

Aurora took a deep breath and turned her head to meet Riku’s eye steadily.

“Yes. Darkness, and the Heartless. I don’t know how they’re related to my past, but I know both are responsible for why I washed up on the Islands with no memories,” she said, half expecting to see judgement or contempt in his teal eyes. Instead, they grew softer, and he put his hands on her shoulders, almost as though to steady her.

“I thought so. I could tell from your reactions, and how you recognized the Emblem, even before Maleficent told us what it is. But, Aurora, I’m _not_ afraid. And I’m doing this, not just to save Kairi, but also to protect you.”

“Protect me?” Aurora asked.

“Yeah. Don’t tell me you haven’t seen how Maleficent looks at you,” Riku asked. Aurora’s eyes widened, thinking back to that moment, where the Dark Fairy had cupped her cheek.

“Right…”

“Don’t worry, I won’t let her near you. But we also need to find a way to help Kairi,” he sighed. Aurora nodded, thinking about the red head. Even in that hologram Maleficent showed them…

“She’s lost her heart,” Aurora said.

“Yeah, I heard the pirates talking about it,” Riku said, dropping his hands from her shoulders and standing, pacing their cabin. Aurora nodded, drawing her legs up onto the hammock and sitting cross-legged.

“Then we just need to find a way to get it back.” _But you’re not doing this alone, Riku. You might be the one to dive into the darkness, but I’ll be there to pull you back._

Suddenly, the ship lurched, and Aurora was dumped out of her hammock with a pained grunt. Riku darted over, helping her to her feet, when one of the pirate’s voices echoed through the metal tube in the room.

_“Whale hoe!”_

“’Whale’?” Aurora asked, rubbing her side.

“In the Ocean Inbetween?” Riku muttered in confusion, thinking of the large sea mammals he’d see from a distance back home. The two teens looked at each other, before quickly making their way to the deck.


	7. To Have a Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longest chapter yet!
> 
> So I know, when we all played through Monstro, we clearly saw Sora's side and how Riku was in the wrong. What I'm trying to do here is show it from Riku's and Aurora's side, and show how these two can feel they're in the right for what they're doing, especially with how Sora… did a lot of scolding towards them and Pinocchio. I hope I got that across well!

When the teens reached the deck, it was a flurry of activity. The pirates were running back and forth, some manning cannons, some holding harpoons. Hook stood at the helm, steering the ship around various debris that littered the Ocean Inbetween, while Smee uselessly got under the crew's feet.

"What's going on?" Riku asked as they reached the Captain.

"Monstro is!" Hook snapped, pointing to something off the Starboard bow. "That blasted beast is chasing us down, trying to eat me ship!"

Aurora looked in the direction the pirate had pointed, and gasped.

"It really is a whale! And it's larger than us!" she said.

"Whoa. Biggest whale I've ever seen," Riku muttered, watching the large, blue beast swim after them, anger seeming to drive it. Aurora frowned, watching it for a few minutes. She could sense the whale's heart, large, and balanced between hot and cold – _Light and Dark?_ – But there was… more. Two warmer hearts. The one felt…

"Riku!" Aurora gasped, climbing over the railing and up the rigging slightly to get a better look at the whale.

"Careful, Aurora, it's getting closer!" Riku said, reaching up after the girl.

"I think there's something in there that can help Kairi!"

"In there~ _in the whale!?"_ Riku demanded, before the ship lurched again as Monstro slammed into it. Aurora gasped, her feet slipping from the rigging so that she was just dangling from the ropes by her hands.

"Aurora! Hang on!" Riku yelled, reaching for her.

"Great Scott, what do you brats think you're doing!? Get away from there!" Hook yelled, noticing them by the railing for the first time. Just then, the whale slammed into the ship again, and Aurora lost her grip, dropping from the ship with a scream. Monstro doubled back and caught her in his mouth.

"Aurora!" Riku yelled, jumping over the railing after her.

…

_ Aurora and Edym ran as fast as they could through the streets, chased by a hoard of Heartless. _

" _What did I tell you about going out!" Edym panted, dragging his little sister around a corner by her wrist, glancing back. Aurora didn't answer, unable to talk through the tears of fear and gasps of exertion. Edym looked forward and skidded to a stop, his cyan eyes widening._

" _Oh no…"_

_ In front of them rose a brick wall – a dead end. He quickly spun around to face the Heartless, making sure Aurora was behind him. _

" _Get back!"_

_ The Heartless didn't listen. They continued coming closer. Edym held his arm out in front of Aurora, backing them both up until Aurora was pressed against the brick wall, Edym just a step in front of her. _

_ One of the Heartless lunged forward. Light flashed, and that Heartless was suddenly turned to dust. In front of them stood a man, holding a Keyblade and dressed in a black cloak. He turned his head slightly to look at the two kids, before becoming a whirlwind, taking out the rest of the Heartless. _

" _You kids okay?" the man asked, walking over to them, his Keyblade disappearing in a flash of light._

" _Yeah. Thanks," Edym said, still standing protectively in front of Aurora. The man looked between the two of them and laughed, making a calming gesture with his hands._

" _Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you, or her. What's your names?"_

" _I'm Aurora," Aurora piped up, rubbing her sleeve against her eyes, wiping away tears. Edym made an exasperated noise at his sister's response, and she stomped her foot. "What? He feels nice! Not like those Heartless!"_

" _I feel nice, huh?" the man said, putting a hand to his chin with a chuckle, before looking at the boy. "And you?"_

" _Edym," Edym grumbled, having learned to trust his sister's instincts by now. The man nodded, before crouching to their eye level, summoning a Keyblade again. This one was different from the last one. It was [_ static _]._

" _Here. You should use this to protect your sister. The Heartless attack her because she's special. She can sense the balance of Light and Darkness in a heart, and they fear that. If you use this, you should be able to protect her," the man said. Edym's eyes widened, but he didn't take it right away._

" _Who are you?"_

" _Oh, me? I'm [_ static]"

…

_ I walked slowly through town, looking up at the slowly darkening sky. _

" _Ah. Here you are, [_ static _]." I turned to see an older man walking over to me. I smiled warmly._

" _Ra," I said, bowing my head. "How are you?"_

" _Alright, though not all is well. I need you to go check on [_ static _] at_ [static static] _. I sense something foul in the air."_

" _Of course." I turned and raced towards my goal, when Shadow's suddenly crossed my path. I lifted my hand, casting Sparkga. Rainbow lights surrounded me, before flashing forward, striking the Shadows. As I fought, I heard footsteps pound the ground behind me. I turned._

" _[_ Static] _!" I gasped in surprise, spotting the young man as he turned the corner. His eyes were wild as he looked between first the Shadows, then me. It was then that I sensed something was wrong. He dove at me. I rolled backwards, casting another Spark spell to ward off the Shadows, as the young man tackled me, his right hand coated in darkness. Coldness washed over me, and I kicked him off._

" _What are you doing? You are a [_ static] _!"_

" _Hearts. I need… Hearts!"_ _he tackled me again. I caught his wrists as he reached for my chest, realization stealing over me._

" _It was you. You were the one who attacked [_ static]…"

" _Yes… his heart was… quite delicious."_

" _WHAT!?"_

…

"…Rora! Aurora, wake up!"

Aurora's eyes open, and she shot up, panting. Riku quickly sat back to avoid smacking heads with the panicked girl, his own eyes wide with surprise. Aurora looked around, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Are you okay?" Riku finally asked. Aurora looked up at Riku, blinking a few times, before taking a deep breath.

"Yeah. Just some… dreams." She looked around again, slower this time, taking in the humid, moist surroundings and the fact that everything was red and squishy. She also realized Monstro's heart was… closer. "Are we… were we swallowed by the whale?"

"Yeah. You fell off the ship, so I followed you," Riku said, standing and offering his hand to the girl. Aurora smiled slightly at that, taking his hand and letting him help her up. The two looked around more, taking in the debris and the ship that seemed to be docked in the whale's mouth. "So, uh, you said that there's something here that could help Kairi?" Riku asked. Aurora nodded.

"Yeah. Let's look around," she said."

…

The two eventually found the other two hearts Aurora had sensed, for now, after the first half of her dream, she was sure they were hearts. The first was an older man, and the second was inside…

"A puppet?" Riku muttered, watching the little boy as he climbed the various debris, searching through different boxes.

"Looks that way. I doubt his heart formed on it's own," Aurora said. Riku glanced at her curiously.

"You keep saying that. 'Their hearts'. Did you remember something?" he asked. Aurora smiled sheepishly at him and nodded.

"Yeah… in my dream. It was a memory, really. Edym and I were running away from Heartless, and someone saved us. He explained the Heartless were chasing me because I could sense the Balance of Light and Darkness in hearts. And I remember now, I sense it like temperatures. Light as hot, dark as cold," I explained, before looking back at the puppet. "But his heart is… strange. It's equal amounts light and dark, but it feels… slightly detached from his body? Not like yours, or mine. Or the old man's," I explained. Riku nodded in thought.

"That might be why Maleficent is so interested in you," he muttered, before studying the puppet as well. "But, who knows, maybe he can help Kairi after all…"

Just then, Monstro lurched again, tossing the two teens towards the back of the mouth, closer to the throat. The large mouth opened, revealing the Ocean Inbetween, and a red, orange, and yellow ship for just a moment.

Then, Monstro slammed his mouth shut, trapping the ship and its occupants inside as well!

Heat seared over Aurora's skin, quickly accompanied by coolness. She narrowed her eyes, now recognizing the Hearts that were in the ship, though the one felt… different.

"It's Sora and his new friends," she said. Riku made a face, taking Aurora's hand and pulling her up to stand.

"Come on," he said, leading Aurora deeper into the whale.

Before they got too much deeper, a dark portal opened behind them, a chill racing down Aurora's back.

"Here you two are. When Hook told me you fell overboard and were swallowed by a whale, I almost didn't believe him," Maleficent said, stepping out of the portal. Riku quickly turned to face the Dark Fairy.

"We're fine. And we think we've found something here that can help Kairi," he said. Maleficent quirked an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"There's a puppet here, who developed a heart. If we can find out how, we can help Kairi regain her heart," Aurora explained. Maleficent stayed quiet for a moment, looking between the two teens, before shaking her head.

"I see your hearts' are set on this. Very well. Once you are finished your task here, return to Hook's ship to continue on your way," she said. Riku nodded, and Maleficent vanished.

Just then, the puppet ran into the Chamber they were in. Aurora's eyes widened at their good luck, and she smiled at Riku, kneeling down to his eye level, just as he stopped in front of them.

"Hi! I'm Pinocchio! What's your name?" he said brightly.

"I'm Aurora, and this is my friend, Riku," she said. Riku came over, bending to one knee to be eye level with the puppet as well.

"Hey, Pinocchio. Wanna play a game with us?" he asked. The puppet grinned at that.

"Yeah! What's the game?"

"It's called 'Keep Away,' okay? And the three of us have to keep away from Sora and his friends," Riku explained.

"Oh! It's kind of like tag!" Pinocchio said.

"Right!" Aurora smiled, standing up. "Come on, let's go find a good place to hide!"

Riku stood up as well, and the two teens started to lead the puppet to the next Chamber. Just as they passed through the entrance into the next one, Aurora sensed Sora and the other's hearts, and grabbed Riku's arm.

"What are you doing? Come on, let's go back," Sora said, sounding mildly annoyed.

"You know, Geppetto's awfully worried about you," the dog, Goofy, said.

"Pinocchio, stop fooling around! This is no time for game!" Sora added. Aurora frowned at that, and Riku shook his head, turning around and re-entering the first Chamber. Aurora stepped out with him in time to see the other trio with their backs turned, walking away.

"But, Sora, I thought you liked games," Riku called out to the retreating boy, causing him to whip around. "Or are you too cool to play them now that you have the Keyblade?"

"Riku? Aurora? Wh-what are you doing here?" Sora asked, shocked.

"Just playing with Pinocchio," Aurora said, keeping her voice as light as Riku's was.

"You know what I mean! What about Kairi? Did you two find her?" Sora demanded.

"Maybe. Catch us and maybe we'll tell you what we know," Riku said.

"Come on!" Sora snapped. Riku nodded to Aurora, who took Pinocchio's hand, and the three of them took off, deeper into the whale.

"Wait!" Sora called after them, but Aurora shook her head, following after Riku. They weaved through the various Chambers, avoiding Heartless here and there, until suddenly, they were surrounded.

"Uh-oh," Aurora muttered, letting go of Pinocchio and summoning her light blue and white Ukulele, just as Riku summoned Soul Eater. "Run, Pinocchio!" she called. The puppet nodded and took off, just as the Heartless attacked.

Riku darted around the battle field, keeping one eye on Aurora as he slashed quickly, taking the Heartless down. Meanwhile, Aurora struck a chord on her instrument, causing flames to surround her.

" _Burn!"_ she yelled, sending the flames at the Heartless as they attacked, reducing them to ash and floating hearts. More Heartless took their place, these taking the forms of floating ghosts with spotlights for eyes. Riku dove at one, attacking relentlessly, while Aurora struck a different chord, and idea forming in her head, based off of her earlier dream.

" _Spark!_ " she yelled as she finished the small riff, and rainbow colored crystals appeared around her, spinning quickly, just as the ghost Heartless dove at her. The crystals collided with the ghost, taking it out.

"Whoa," Riku muttered, walking over. "I don't think Ursula taught you that."

"No. I… had another dream. About that 'other me'. She used that spell, and, well, I thought maybe I could use it, too," Aurora explained. Riku nodded, looking around.

"Looks like the Heartless are gone for now. Where's Pinocchio?"

"He ran ahead. Come on." Aurora took the lead, but before they made it more than a few steps, Aurora felt another chill.

"Why do you still care about that boy?" The two turned to face Maleficent. "He has all but deserted you for the Keyblade and his new companions, after all."

"I don't care about him. I was just messing with him a little," Riku snapped, turning to face her.

_ But we do still care, _ Aurora thought, staying quiet. _If we didn't, we wouldn't still be angry. And hurt._

"Oh really? Of course you were." Maleficent saw right through them. "Beware the darkness in your heart. The Heartless prey upon it," she said as she portaled away.

"Mind your own business!" Riku yelled after her, before looking away. Aurora put a hand on Riku's shoulder in a calming gesture, and he looked at her, and sighed.

"I'm okay. I'll be careful," he assured her.

"I didn't say anything," Aurora teased, smiling.

"Tch. You didn't have to. You're too easy to read," he teased back.

"Hey!" she laughed, before shaking her head. _I won't let him fall to the darkness,_ she promised herself as they entered the next Chamber, only to see Pinocchio run in through a different door, and out another one.

Sora was only a few steps behind him, but stopped when seeing Riku and Aurora.

"Riku! Aurora! What's the matter with you? What are you thinking? Don't you realize what you're doing?" Sora yelled, like he was scolding them. Aurora gritted her teeth at that.

"I was about to ask you the same thing, Sora!" Aurora snapped back at him. Riku placed a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down.

"You only seem interested in running around and showing off that Keyblade these days." At Riku's words, the Keyblade jumped to Sora's hand, proving his point.

Aurora shook her head at that. "Do you even _want_ to save Kairi?"

"I do," Sora said, looking down. To Aurora and Riku, he didn't sound sure at all.

Icy coldness suddenly stole over Aurora, and she gasped, whipping around to face the direction Pinocchio came from.

"No!" she whispered, just as Pinocchio's scream echoed from the next Chamber. Without waiting for the others, she darted in, skidding to a stop when seeing a large, parasite like Heartless…

…with Pinocchio trapped inside its stomach.

"Don't worry, Pinocchio! We'll get you out of there!" she called, summoning her Ukulele again, just as she sensed Riku, Sora, and the others approaching as well.

"You up for this?" Riku asked, looking over at Sora.

"No problem! Let's do this!"

And suddenly, all of the bad blood between them was gone. Sora, Riku, and Aurora fought together against the large Heartless like they'd been a team this whole time. Sora attacked high, jumping to dodge the swinging arms, while Riku stayed low, rolling away from its attacks. Aurora stayed out of the Heartless's range, her fingers flying on the strings of her Ukulele, casting Water and Lightning spells at the beast.

After some time, the Heartless finally stopped attacking. It attached itself to the ceiling and spat Pinocchio out, who dropped through a hole in the floor. Riku and Aurora quickly jumped after the puppet, not seeing what became of the large Heartless.

The hole led directly back to the Mouth, and Pinocchio, Aurora, and Riku landed on a platform on one of the debris piles.

Pinocchio was unconscious.

"Oh no, oh no," Aurora muttered, kneeling next to him, putting a hand on his chest. "Pinocchio?" she whispered, trying to sense his Heart.

It was gone.

"Aurora?" Riku asked.

"It's gone. He's lost his Heart," she whispered, carefully picking the puppet up, cradling him, guilting gnawing away at her.

"Pinocchio! Pinocchio!"

The two teens looked over to see the old man, Geppetto, watching them, calling for his son. Sora and the others stood right behind him.

"Please! give me back my son!"

Another pang of guilt shot through Aurora, and she looked down at the puppet in her arms.

"Sorry, old man! We have some unfinished business with this puppet," Riku called back. Aurora's breath caught in her chest, and she looked up at him in disbelief.

"He's no puppet! Pinocchio is my little boy!" Geppetto argued.

"He is unusual. Not many puppets have hearts. I'm not sure, but maybe he can help someone who's lost their's," Riku said.

"Wait a minute. Are you talking about Kairi?" Sora asked.

"What do you care about her?" Riku snapped at Sora.

_ Kairi wouldn't want us to save her by hurting someone else, though! _ Aurora thought, looking down at Pinocchio. He looked like he was just sleeping in her arms.

"Riku," Aurora started softly, looking up at Riku, who had turned to walk away. He turned to look at her, and his eyes softened.

"We'll find a way to restore his heart, too," he said, soft enough for only Aurora to hear. Aurora hesitated, looking back at Geppetto.

"I'm sorry," she said, before following after Riku.

The two of them quickly made their way into the stomach of the whale, and Aurora gently placed Pinocchio on the ground, fixing his hat.

"Aurora?" Riku said.

"Your cruelty to the old man was unnecessary," she said, not looking up. "It's bad enough we got Pinocchio's heart stolen. But to take your anger out on his father? That was going too far."

Riku didn't answer. Aurora glanced back at him, spotting real remorse on his face as he looked down.

"You're right. I'm sorry," he said softly. Aurora shook her head.

"I'm not the one you need to apologize to. I get your angry at Sora for abandoning us and Kairi. I am too. And I want to help Kairi. But…"

"We need to be careful. I understand," Riku sighed at that, looking at Pinocchio again, his eyes growing sad. "I never meant for him to loose his heart. I just… wanted to talk to him, find out how he get his heart to begin with."

"But we let ourselves get distracted by our emotions when Sora confronted us," Aurora sighed.

"Yeah."

"Hey, let Pinocchio go, you two!"

Aurora and Riku turned as Sora's voice rang out through the Whale's stomach. Aurora took a deep breath, looking down at Pinocchio.

"He's lost his heart to the Heartless, Sora," she said.

"Maybe he holds the key to helping Kairi," Riku added, not bothering to tell Sora their idea of helping to restore Pinocchio's heart, as well. At least, not yet…

"How about it, Sora? Let's join forces to save her. The three of us can do it, together," Riku said, walking towards the boy. Aurora watched from where she stayed kneeling next to Pinocchio, hopeful.

Then Sora summoned his Keyblade, dropping into his fighting stance, and Aurora's hope shattered. _He really has turned his back on us…_

"What? You'd rather fight me?" Riku asked, incredulous.

"Pinocchio might not have a heart, but at least he still has a conscience," Sora said.

"Conscience?" Riku repeated.

"You might not hear it, but right now it's loud and clear." As Sora spoke, Aurora sensed something moving quickly from him, over to where she sat with Pinocchio. She glanced down and saw a cricket in a waist coat and top hat, running over. A small gasp escaped her.

The cricket had his own heart, but glowing within that… _was Pinocchio's heart._

"It's telling me you two are on the wrong side!" Sora yelled.

"Then you leave us no choice," Riku snarled.

"Pinocchio! Pinocchio!" The cricket reached the puppet, and Aurora backed up a little, sensing as Pinocchio's heart left the cricket, and reentered him. Pinocchio opened his eyes tiredly.

"Jiminy… I'm not gonna make it," he murmured. Suddenly, there was a glow of light from his face, and his nose grew. The puppet perked up, looking at it excitedly. "Oh! I guess I'm okay!"

Aurora stood and walked over to where Riku stood, nodding to him. He looked over at Pinocchio and let out a small sigh.

"A different way," he said softly.

"Right," Aurora said.

A chill suddenly shot down her spin, and she quickly looked up in time to see the same Heartless as before dropping towards them. Riku quickly grabbed her, pulling her out of the way to make sure it didn't land on her, and the two vanished through a dark portal.

…

Much later, after resting a bit, Aurora and Riku got word that Kairi had been recovered, and was in the Captain's Quarters. They rushed there to find her laying back on the bench, seemingly asleep. Aurora sat next to her on the bench, holding her hand, while Riku watched over her with sad eyes.

"So, Kairi's like a lifeless puppet now?" Riku asked, his voice trembling.

"Precisely," the fourth occupant of the room, Maleficent, said. Aurora shook her head, not wanting to believe it, but sensing the proof for herself.

Kairi's heart was gone.

"Her heart…" Aurora started, her own voice shaking.

"Taken by the Heartless, no doubt," Maleficent said. Aurora thought back to that night on the Islands, when she lost Kairi in the storm, and the Shadows had attacked.

It could have happened then…

She gave Kairi's hand a squeeze. _I'm so sorry!_ she thought, tears filling her eyes.

"Tell me! What can I do?" Riku demanded, whirling to face the Dark Fairy, desperation filling his voice.

"There are seven maidens of the purest heart. We call them the Princess of Heart. Gather them together, and a door will appear to the heart of all worlds. Within lies untold wisdom. There, you will surely find a way to recover Kairi's heart," Maleficent explained.

Aurora looked up at that. _The 'heart of all worlds'? Wait! Is that~_ Pain shot through her head as she reached for the memory, floating just below the surface. And suddenly, the memory and paint were gone. Aurora rubbed her eyes with her free hand, not once letting go of Kairi's hand.

Riku turned to look at Aurora. "This is it. Our other way," he said. Aurora looked up, and sighed.

"Yeah. I don't think we have a choice," she said. Riku nodded.

"Now, I'll grant you a marvelous gift," Maleficent said, regaining the teens' attention. "The power to control the Heartless." Riku began to glow green as the power washed over him, and he closed his eyes. Green light began to glow over Aurora as well, but a bright flash of gold at her chest washed it away, blocking it. Aurora shivered at the warmth and cold that washed over her body, as well as Maleficent's scowl in her direction. Riku, however, didn't seem to notice anything wrong at all as he turned to look at the red head.

"Soon, Kairi. Soon." 


End file.
